Erwin C Trotter in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Name: Erwin C Trotter
County: Deschutes
State: Oregon
Birthplace: North Dakota,United States of America
Birth Date: 2 Jan 1888
Race: Caucasian (White)
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Source Citation
Registration State: Oregon; Registration County: Deschutes; Roll: 1852055
Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.
Description
This database contains an index and images of World War I draft registration cards completed by approximately 24 million men living in the U.S. in 1917 and 1918. Information that may be found for an individual includes: name, place of residence, date and place of birth, race, country of citizenship, occupation, and employer. Learn more…

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WWI- During his time n the Army Erwin was sent to France he was mustered out 5/27/1919

PVT.23rd CO.,20th ENG
During WWI Erwin C trotter fought in France near Paris. These photo are from his collection from being there. While he was station in France he would also do logging in the area among other things.

" My experience in World War I.

I spent eighteen months in France with the 23RD Company of the 20th Engineers. We put up a small sawmill in grove of white oaks about ninety miles southeast of Paris. I had enlisted from Bend, Oregon. The mess sergeant had gotten hold of me and made me a cook. We were in France 18 months and then the Armistice was signed.

And now comes a few words about my World War I service.

T’was in the fall of 1917 and I was living in Bend, Oregon. The call was going out for soldiers there was the draft also. I had had some experience in the woods so instead of waiting for the draft, I enlisted in the 20th Engineers. I went to Vancouver, Washington State first; from here I was shipped to Washington D.C..

Here the Mess sergeant of the 23rd Company got hold of me and made a cook out of me. We were stationed near Washington, D.C. about three weeks. Of course we were trained in military moves, mostly marching.

On January 4th1918 we lined up in Hoboken, New Jersey to take the boat. That day too, was cold. A cold wind was blowing on the River. Some of the boys had to be taken out of line; just were sick of, I don’t remember what.

The steamer we went on board was the 23,000 ton America. We had a convoy of ballet cruisers too. It was our luck, of the 20th Company to wait tables up on the upper third deck. This was after we had been at sea a day or two. The sea got real rough, dishes were sliding forth and back on the tables. Some of the Company got sea sick and had to go back below.

The ship was darkened and only small blue lights below decks were allowed. Some of the boys played cards by the lights. But I had bought a small solder’s French language textbook. This I worked on in my bunk.

If I remember correctly it took us 13 days to cross. This was partly due to zigzagging the boat. When we reached Brest on the French coast, there were no docking structures yet. So we were lightered to shore on barges. Our first barracks was an old Pontenesion Barracks.

In these quarters I found some little pewter soldiers. I don’t recall who I gave them to, but it was some kids.

From Brest we were loaded into French box cars. These cars were not equipped with toilets at all but they had handy side rails a person could get out on. The cars held forty soldiers or eight horses. They were what the boys called the 40 and eight.

Eventually we landed in a small town on a narrow gauge railroad. This was Marchenoir, where we were lucky enough to be camped for the duration in so far we were concerned. We put up a small saw-mill. In fact we had an auxiliary mill for just cutting railroad ties. The large mill cut bridge timbers and trench timbers too.

This little mill was powered by a traction engine, the like of which was used to thrash grain etc. It was a sight to behold though for the French people. Every Church holiday, yes every weekend people came to see the mill.

Our first kitchen at this mill site was only a big canvas fly. This soon became burned full of holes. Our mess sergeant put us to work cooking under the canvas. We had two shifts of a cook and two K.P.’s there was a spell of two weeks that all we could get for ration was tomatoes and rice.
To make a long story short I cooked for nine months. I got so nervous I asked the captain to let me go out into the woods and use an axe… This grove we were cutting in was of white of white oak. The Germans had been in this forest before us.

All the oak tree tops had to be cut up into wood. This was loaded on railroad cars in Marchenoir.

I should relate that I cooked in the little railroad camp; we were very lucky, we were about a ¼ mile from the main camp. We were very lucky; we were at this location until the Armistice was signed. After the armistice was signed we were put to work repairing the roads which our heavy trucks had broken down.
Our company was sent to a small town named Beaugency near here was a big pond and we were diving for racks that lay on the bottom. I say diving but actually we were just wading. This town of Beaugency was on the main line between Bordeaux and Paris. Their trains traveled very fast too. The passengers that is.

At last on November 11 the armistice was signed and we were soon on our was again, we were sent however to a small town south of Bordeaux. This town was called Dax, We were not there too long and then we had a six mile march with full packs to Bordeau. I was pretty well pooped so when we got on board the Zeelandia I lay right down in my bunk. Next morning there was a heavy swell running and being quartered in the bow of the boat. I went up on deck and the first thing I knew I was feeding the fish. And, I didn't feel good all the way back to Newport News, VA.

Eventually we were entrained for Fort Lewis, Washington. I was discharged in June, at Fort Lewis, Washington State. I had been corresponding with Mildred Mersdorf while overseas. Anyways we were married in Portland, Oregon"
(On his way home from France. They met in Portland and were married during the Rose Festival.)

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Logging In The Northwest Woods of the Cascades Between 1911-1934 of Washington, Oregon, parts of Idaho in the United States and in SW Canada

Erwin Trotter started out Logging in 1911. He took off time from working in the north woods while the United States was part of WWI. But he never stopped logging even during the war. While he was stationed in France he logged in their woods also upon returning at the end of the war and after he married Mildred in Portland, OR shortly after returning from France. He then returned to the woods IN THE Cascades that he loved soon. The crews would log as far north as Canada and in Washington, Oregon and I think some in Idaho. While he was in the Woods he worked in the Commissary store for a time and did scaling of the trees that the men had taken down. Scaling of the trees gives you lumber company an idea of how much wood they can get out of each tree. This would make it so Erwin would have to go where the trees were located. Many families like my grandparents and their children would leave in the camps. Both of Erwin and Mildred children Marijane and Kenneth were born during the time this time . My mother Marijane (Trotter) Lehr their oldest was born in such a camp near Centralia, Lewis, WA, USA. I am not sure where was born it might have been in Raymond. Fellow logging families would become your adopted family because you would see them daily. This is the case with my Grandfathers close buddy Roy Meade and his wife Edna. When his Granddaughter Vicki (me) was little he would tell her such great true stories of his life in the woods. One of my favorite was his bear stories. I am so glad he wrote some of them down so I can share them with his descendants. I remember walking through the woods with him where he would point out what this tree was out that plant. He enjoyed talking walks long after he retired. Then he would sit in his recliner in the evenings with his portable typewriter on his lap and type out his memories of days gone by. I am so glad hie did it's a great help tying up the loose ends of my grandparents life -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He leaves his wife, Mildred Trotter of Watsonville, his son, Kenneth Trotter of Watsonville; his daughter, Mrs. Marijane Lehr of Bethesda, MD. And three grandchildren.

Cremation arrangements are being made by the California Cremation Society of San Jose. A private memorial service will be held next Friday and his ashes will be scattered at sea. Contributions in his name can be made to the diabetic association.

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Birth: Jan. 2, 1888 Neche Pembina County North Dakota, USA Death: Feb. 2, 1977 Santa Cruz Santa Cruz County California, USA

Family links:

Parents: Thomas Erwin Trotter (1854 - 1951) Alice Catherine Corwin Trotter (1867 - 1947) Spouse: Mildred Mae Mersdorf Trotter (1893 - 1992)*

Calculated relationship

Burial: Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea. Specifically: Pacific Ocean-off the coast of Monterey, California.

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Created by: Gillespie Cemetery Assoc… Record added: Apr 08, 2014 Find A Grave Memorial# 127665271 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=127665271

Erwin Trotter (1888)